For decades the Porsche 914 and 914-6 have lived in the shadows. Now, finally, demand is on the rise. The cars turn heads and offer a unique motoring experience.
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George has some VERY nice 914s. A 2.0 914-4 would have been a better comparison.
Having taken delivery of the 35th 914-4 imported from the Basking Ridge dealer and driving it cross country shortly thereafter,two problems quickly surfaced. Somewhere near Cleveland the starter solinoid jammed up, resulting in dicey push starts and tire iron banging on the starter. The really interesting excitement came in desert smelling gas keeping an eye in the rearview mirror pushed ontoSaltlakeCityUtah. Stopped at the Porsche dealer,he had never seen one of course,but he repaired in record time the fuel line that had been peppered with battery acid. Opened her up on the Nevada no limit (100mph) roadway wary of the cattle crossing the road. Made it to the new job and proceeded to trade it for a '69 911E targa wishing I had bought it for the trip and kept it.dcl
I've always been drawn to mid-engine cars. With the Pantera our of reach, I built a mid-engine V8 Corvair while in college. The description of the 914 shifter sounds like the Vair...
20 years later, i looked at 914s vs Mk1 MR2s. ended up with an 87 MR2...very happy with it. The 914 had very little aftermarket support and was too pricey even then. And the MR2 shifter is great
Now I have rounded up parts for a 20-valve 4AGE swap and a 1MZE swap. hope to start next year with the 20-valve, followed by a second car with the V6.
The choice is simple, if you have the money ($100k plus) buy a 914/6, they are a fantastic car with great upside in the classic car market. However, for that money you are solidly into 911 territory especially a SC or Carrera model. IMHO, most people would probably perfer a clean '80's 911 over a 914/6.
That said, for Joe Average, the 914/4 ($15k plus) is the model you want, especially a 2.0L chrome bumper 1973-74 with the appearance group. These 914/4's are an amazing value. If you find it lacking in power then you can easily address that issue with 96mm pistons/barrels, an upgraded camshaft and maybe twin Webers or an upgraded FI system. That will put you in the same power range as the 914/6 but with better low end torque. I have two 914/4's under restoration now, both will be on the road in early 2024. The real competitor for the 914/4, in the Porsche world, is a 924 or 944 which are great value as well.
I'm thinking of keeping one of my 914 and acquire a nice 924S or 944. Both cars, in good to excellent condition, will cost me less than half of a ratty original 914/6.
I would be hard pressed to put another car ahead of a 914 for teaching you how to corner smoothly on the track. Put a set of non sticky tires on and one will quickly see how to change directions smoothly, or maybe learn how not to soil themselves while spinning out. But for the street the MK1 MR2 is way more fun. It has a motor that pulls to redline and AC.
I had a yellow and orange 76 with the fuel injected 2 liter 4. It was incredibly capable, and did what it was designed to do in a German way. It just felt clinical and unemotional, and neither this or my 73 911T Targa ever really excited me. They were reliable but boring even when driven fast to me. My British cars may not always have the same performance, but I get out of them remarking how much I love to drive them. And before the reliability jokes pop up, my 78 Spitfire 1500 won numerous autocross titles and covered over 112k miles from 2010-19 when I lived in Austin, TX, and my 73 GT6 has covered 80k miles since June, 2020. Including a trip to Austin from Colorado Springs over a weekend. 840 miles in each direction in just over 14hrs.
The 914 was wider inside, and definitely not as claustrophobic as British cars. But the legroom was about 2 inches too short for my 34 in inseam. But it was pretty comfortable for drives of several hours at a time. Not as much legroom as the GT6 or Spitfire, but more open cockpit for sure. Also the 914 was great as a photo prop.
I thought canoe at first but apparently not. I do like the haggerty article about stealing one https://www.hagerty.com/media/advice/a-few-things-to-know-before-you-steal-my-914/
Always neat cars, heard the MR2 spyder being called the modern (though approaching antique itself) interpretation of one seems accurate.
One caveat on the 914-6. A friend had his girlfriend take the car for some errand and it needed gas, so she pulled into a full service station, asked them to fill it up and went to look at something inside. She came out to find the pump jockey pumping the oil reservoir for the dry sump system full of gas (it is in the engine bay while the gas tank is located up front).. At east she noticed and didn't fire it up!
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